


Squirrel Pup

by Dotdotbeepdot



Series: Self-Indulgent [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Adoptive Parents - Freeform, Blood and Injury, De-aging, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, King and Bing aren't together in this fic for obvious reasons, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, just really self indulgent man, not much but its still there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 17:56:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21140819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dotdotbeepdot/pseuds/Dotdotbeepdot
Summary: King gets turned into a child and the egos learn stuff they rather not have.Extremely self indulgent and filled with my own projecting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Magical_Devil_Alex's Lovely Child of Mine. Please read it, it's amazing.

The others never really thought of what King was like as a child. They assumed he was just as odd as an adult. They all seemed to have an image of a bright eyed kid, covered in dirt and band aids, and trying to catch squirrels in his backyard. 

They never expected this. 

It all started with Wilford pestering Bing in the garden. 

“Oh come on,” Wilford groaned, following the android out to the patio. “It’s just a simple trick! I just want to see if it works. I can snap you back to normal like that!” He snapped his fingers just to prove it. 

“Nah man,” Bing shook his head with a smile. He dropped his skateboard on the floor and dropped down on a lawn chair. “I rather not be human. I like the way I am man, don’t wanna change nothing.” He hesitated for a moment, staring into space before shaking his head again and smirking. “Nah, I’m good.”

Wilford groaned again, dramatically flopping down on the chair across from Bing. “Please?” he whined. “Google kicked me out when I tried to convince him.”

“Sorry dude, but no way,” Bing smiled at King as he opened the sliding door and wondered out, holding the peanut butter jar in his hands and smearing it on his face. “I don’t want it backfiring and I end up having like, tits or something.”

“That would be pretty nice though,” Wilford made a gesture at his chest and Bing made a face. “But no is not an answer Bing Bong!” He jumped his feet with sudden determination and pointed a finger at Bing as if it was a wand.

Bing yelped and slipped out of his chair, curling up on the floor and covering his head just as a cloud of pink glitter shot at him like smoke from a gun. He coughed heavily, fans working to expel as much of the glitter from the air as he can. 

Once he was in the clear— or at least the glitter in his body was mostly gone— he dared to lift his head from the ground. From what he could tell, he was still a robot, he still had his fans and he could still search the web with only his head. He popped his head up and looked over the chair to look at Wilford, who was staring straight past him at something else. Bing followed his stare and got to his feet. 

The cloud of pink glitter was disappearing and revealing a small crumpled up figure on the floor. They were also in a coughing fit— a rather painful one by the sound of it— but it sounded off. Too high pitched. Then, Bing noticed the peanut butter jar tossed to the side, still open and slowly starting to spill out onto the stones. 

Bing swore and rushed over to King, Wilford following close behind him. The cloud disappeared with Wilford’s help and they both dropped to their knees beside him. Bing went to pat his back, but stopped short as he noticed how  _ small _ King was. He wasn’t donning his king costume or even a lick of peanut butter. Instead he was wearing a black and blue t-shirt and tan cargo shorts. This wasn’t the normal adult King. He was a child. 

“Fuck, Wilford what did you do?” Bing whisper yelled, finally moving to help the kid. Before Wilford could respond though, King’s breathing hitched and he whipped around to stare at the two with wide and terrified eyes. 

Bing tossed his hands up in surrender and tried to look as non threatening as possible, something he was fairly good at considering everything about him. Wilford threw up his hands too, not really understanding what was happening, just following Bing’s lead. 

“Don’t be scared,” Bing started slowly, keeping his voice soft. “We aren’t gonna hurt you little dude. Are you okay?” He berated himself afterwards. King was never very good with words, especially when he was scared. 

“Yeah,” to his surprise, King responded easily to his question. “My arm hurts, but I’m okay.” He was still breathing heavily and after his answer he started coughing again. His whole body trembling with each cough.  _ Fuck, he was so skinny. _

“Can I see it?” Bing lowered one of his hands and outstretched it towards King, who cringed away slightly and curled into himself a bit more. “I just want to make sure it’s okay. If not, we got a doctor that can fix it up for you.” He stole a glance over to Wilford, who was staring intensely at the kid. 

King hesitated a little longer, but eventually relented. He slowly outstretched his right arm out to Bing, flinching slightly when he took hold of it. 

It looked like a road burn, scraped and bloody, with a few pebbles stuck to it. Bing winced sympathetically and looked up at King, giving a reassuring smile. 

“Sorry little dude,” he started, watching as the kid stiffened. “Looks like we’re gonna have to go to the doctor to clean it up.” He stood up and pulled him up as well, Wilford lagging behind slightly before standing up as well. “He’s just inside so we don’t need to go anywhere.”

Bing saw King look back at the forest nervously as he followed behind them. 


	2. Chapter 2

Thankfully, they got to the clinic without running into anyone. Dr. Iplier was working at his desk when the three came into his office. 

“Okay man don’t freak out,” Bing began as soon as he entered the room with King and Wilford in tow. “We can explain—“

“Is that a child?” Dr. Iplier yelled, jumping to his feet and quickly making his way over. King cowered behind Bing’s legs as the doctor bent down to his level. “Please tell me you didn’t kidnap a child.”

“We didn’t,” Wilford shouted, the first thing he’s said since his spell. “That’s King!”

“King?” Dr. Iplier asked in surprise at the same time King asked in confusion.

Everyone stopped and stared at the kid. King cowered a little more behind Bing, shifting on his feet. He looked between all of them, a bit of fear shining through as they continued to stare. Dr. Iplier finally seemed to notice his bloody arm. 

“Let’s get you fixed up, huh?” He tried smiling at King, forcing down his frustration at Wilford and Bing in favor of comforting the kid. He held out a hand for him to take. “My name’s Dr. Iplier.” Bing let go of his hand and King hesitantly took the doctor’s. 

“I’m Harrison.” He mumbled softly. Dr. Iplier looked at the other two in surprise, but quickly looked back down and smiled at King— no, Harrison— as he leads him to one of the chairs. 

“That’s a very nice name,” Dr. iplier said awkwardly. Harrison hopped up on the chair and the doctor let go to search his cabinets for the right items. He gestured for Bing and Wilford to come over as well. “What the hell did you two do?” He snapped, looking back over at Harrison to make sure he wasn’t being too loud. 

“Wilford tried to turn me into a human and he missed with his spell or whatever and it hit King,” Bing explained in a fast whisper. “He said he can turn him back in a snap, though. Right Wilford?”

“Well…” Wilford dragged out the L, looking terribly guilty. Bing slapped him in the arm, making him yelp. “Okay! Okay, I lied about being able to turn him back.” The other two started to yell at him, still trying to stay as quiet as possible to not worry Harrison. “But! It shouldn’t take that long to wear off! At the least, he’ll be stuck like this for a week. And that’s not that bad because look how adorable he is!” Wilford gestured blindly behind him to prove his point and Bing slapped him again. 

“Dark’s gonna fucking kill you two,” Dr. Iplier hissed out before grabbing everything he needed and turning to walk back to Harrison with a smile, as if nothing happened. “Okay, this will sting a bit, but that just means it’s doing its job.” 

He crouched down in front of him again and gently took the kid’s arm— it was so small and skinny, he was worried he might break it— and began cleaning the wound with a wet towel. Harrison didn’t make a sound, the only indication that it was bothering him was the slight twitch of his mouth.

“How did this happen?” He threw a glare over at the other two as he said that. 

“I… fell…” That was an obvious lie, but Dr. Iplier didn’t say anything about it. 

“We didn’t do that!” Bing cried out. “That was there when we got to him! And it can’t be from the patio because those rocks are asphalt. It had to be from earlier when he…” he stopped, clearing his throat awkwardly. Dr. Iplier got the idea though, it was from when he was actually a child. 

Once all the blood and pebbles were cleaned off, Dr. Iplier set the towel aside and grabbed a tube. He repeated what he said before, saying that this would be cold instead of sting, and started rubbing the cream on. Harrison, again, gave no reaction. 

“Alright,” Dr. Iplier mumbled softly, putting the cap on the tube and standing up to wash his hands. “You are a very good patient, Harrison.” He complimented, drying his hands and coming back over to bandage him. 

“Thank you.” He was so quiet, that Dr. Iplier was sure he wouldn’t be able to hear him if he wasn’t right in front of him. He had a small little smile on his face, angling it down in an attempt to hide it. Dr. Iplier smiled himself as he bandaged up his arm. 

“Well,” he taped up the end and stood up, Harrison following in his step. “You’re all done now, Harry.” Dr. Iplier’s smile faltered slightly at the way Harrison flinched at the nickname. 

“Great!” Dr. Iplier jumped at the sudden shout and turned around. Wilford and Bing were still standing at the cabinets. “Now we can get this little bugger some food and Bing can tell Dark!”

“What?” Bing yelped, a sharp note coming from his core as he turned to Wilford. “I’m not telling Dark! They’ll murder me on the spot! You tell them, you’re married to them.”

“You and I both know I’ll lie about who did it so you do it.” Wilford defended. “I’ll scrape you off the floor and into Google’s lap when it’s over.”

Bing was about to retort again, but Dr. Iplier interrupted him. 

“Alright, Alright!” He raises his hands to shut them up. “ _ Both _ of you go tell Dark and  _ I’ll  _ get Harrison some food. Got it?”

They huffed, but ended up agreeing. They grumbled about how unfair this was and how the other should do it and not them while going out the door and down the hall to Dark’s office. 

Dr. Iplier rubbed his face and sighed. At least he had the easy task. Just give Harrison the peanut butter jar and he’ll be fine. Well, probably. Harrison was already much different then King and it’s only been ten minutes of meeting him. Dr. Iplier wondered, not for the first time, what happened to King? He knew that King lived in the forest before, practically feral when Dark and Wilford found him. No one knew how he got into the forest or what his life was like before then. Just learning his name was huge. 

“Dr. Iplier?” Harrison asked in a soft voice. The doctor dropped his hands and glanced over at him. Harrison quickly looked down at his feet and played with his fingers, a very King like move. “Am… am I allowed to eat?”

Dr. Iplier tried not to think about how he asked if he was allowed to and not if he can and just smiled. “Of course,” he held out his hand for Harrison to take. He wrapped his small, soft hand around the doctor’s calloused one. “What would you like to eat?” 

Harrison shrugged as he was lead out to the kitchen. “Anything really…”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is mention of child abuse in this chapter so be cautious

Dr. Iplier and Harrison rounded the corner and into the kitchen without bumping into anyone, But the doctor knew that there was almost always someone in the kitchen. It’s not like the three were planning on keeping this whole turned-King-into-a-child thing to themselves, or even be able to with with Wilford’s mouth and everyone’s inability to stay out of other people’s business. Even though King wasn’t as popular around the manor as some of the others, it would still be blatantly obvious if he wasn’t around.

Right now, only Eric and Host were in the kitchen. Immediately, Host turned and smiled at Dr. Iplier and Harrison, a half eaten peanut butter cookie still in his hand. He swallowed and wiped away some crumbs still on his face.

“Hello there Doctor,” with that, he caught Eric’s attention, the younger man looking up from the kitchen island in surprise. “And hello little one. What is your name?” Dr. Iplier knew that Host already knows Harrison’s name, he knows everything about everyone, it didn’t take long before the others to start to figure that out. He was probably only asking so he wouldn’t scare Harrison anymore than he already was.

Speaking of, Harrison was staring at the Host with wide, terrified eyes behind his glasses― which were thick, black, square frames. Dr. Iplier remembered his first week at the manor and seeing King without glasses, squinting at everything. He eventually convinced Dark and Wilford that he needed glasses, which prompted Wilford to steal random people’s glasses until one of them worked. He never thought that maybe King had glasses before.

Dr. Iplier shook himself out of his thoughts and squeezed Harrison’s hand gently.

“It’s alright,” he soothed. Harrison looked up at him nervously. “The Host is very nice, despite how he may look. I promise he won’t hurt you.”

Harrison gulped, glancing back over at the Host. 

“My―” his voice came out meek so he cleared his throat and tried again. “My name is Harrison.” After giving out his name, he looked down at his feet and gripped Dr. Iplier’s hand a little tighter.

“It’s very nice to meet you Harrison,” the Host said, actively trying not to narrate. “Would you like a cookie?” Host pulled out a tupperware filled with peanut butter cookies from behind his back. Harrison hesitated for a moment, looking up at Dr. Iplier for approval.

“Go ahead.” Dr. Iplier edged on softly, chest tightening slightly. He really wanted to know why the hell Harrison needed approval for eating, but he refrained from asking. It could just be his parents raising him to be polite.

Harrison slowly grabbed a cookie, then when Host didn’t move them away, he took a few more. When Host still didn’t move them away, Harrison softly said that he was good for now. Host nodded and placed the lid over it, turning oddly to the counter and reaching out to put the tupperware down slowly. Dr. Iplier stared a little in confusion, but then it dawned on him. Host wasn’t narrating as to not scare Harrison, and without the narrations, he couldn’t see. 

“Shi―” the doctor quickly cut himself off, half reaching out to Host to help him, but stopping short and dropping his hand. He let go of Harrison’s hand and glanced down at him. “Uhh, why don’t you go sit over by Eric there―” he gestured to the other, who was silent this whole time. “And eat your cookies, alright?”

Harrison nodded and Dr. Iplier gave him a quick pat on the back before grabbing Host’s arm and apologizing profusely. Host gave a small laugh and brushed him off. Harrison walked over to Eric and hesitated to sit down. 

“Am I allowed to sit here?” he asked Eric. The other was currently having a mental breakdown and sweating like crazy, but he nodded. Harrison hopped up on the seat and spread out his cookies in front of him, barely able to look at the counter top because of how small he was in the stool. 

“So uhh…” Eric began awkwardly. He watched helplessly as Dr. Iplier walked Host out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. “A-are you one of Ed’s kids?” 

“Ed?” Harrison questioned, tilting his head as he took a bite out of his first cookie, stomach growling loudly.

“N-never mind um,” Eric stared at the doorway, pleading for someone else to come in and save him. “S-so if you aren’t Ed’s kids then uhh, how-how did you get here?”

Harrison stopped chewing for a moment. He swallowed, looking at the cookie in his hands. “I was uhh…” he put the cookie back on the counter, despite his stomach still growling for it. “Walking through the forest and um… I don’t know… I think the pink and orange people found me… maybe I fell asleep again…”

Harrison was obviously lying. Maybe not about everything, about Wilford and Bing finding him, but something was definitely wrong with the way he was telling it. It was… too familiar to Eric. He remembers Dr. Iplier asking him about a bruise peeking out from his sleeve when he first got here― when his father was still around― and making up a lie about it. Something about the fear on Harrison’s face reminded Eric of a similar feeling of  _ I can’t tell you because they told me not to.  _ It made him feel sick.

“Oh,” Eric’s voice sounded shaky to his ears. He tugged on his shirt and bit his lip. “Y-you know, you can tell me if something’s wrong. I  _ promise  _ I won’t be mad at you if you did.” It felt awkward saying this to him, but if someone is hurting this kid, Eric needed to tell Dark. He could do something about it. Right?

Harrison started to tear up. He wiped away his tears sloppily with his arms and quickly shook his head, letting out a quiet whine.

“Oh no. No no no no, don’t cry! I-I didn’t mean to upset you.” Eric stressed, trying to rub the kid’s back to calm him down. He jerked his hand back to his side as Harrison flinched and let out another whimper. Eric was starting to tear up too. He didn’t mean to make him cry, he just wanted to make sure he wasn’t being hurt. And by the reaction, there was a big chance he was.

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Harrison’s voice croaked as he sniffed and swiped away more tears, controlling himself slowly. He gave one more sniff and dropped his hands into his lap, staring down at them. “I’m sorry, I’m fine.”

Eric wanted to say he wasn’t. No one has a reaction like that if they were fine, he knows from experience, but someone entered the kitchen before he could.

Dark stood at the doorway, Wilford, Bing, and Dr. Iplier close behind them. Dark didn’t even get a chance to open their mouth before Harrison jumped out of his chair and bolted from the room. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They talk a bit more about child abuse here too

“Wait where are you―” Dr. Iplier pushed through the others to catch him, but Harrison was already gone. “Shit. Shit, Eric what did you say to him.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Eric whimpered, curling in on himself. “I-I was just asking him some questions a-and I-I might have upset him. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine just,” Dr. Iplier swore again and rubbed his neck. He turned back to the other three. “We need to find him before he hurts himself, or gets out, or―”

“We get the idea, doctor,” Dark said calmly. They rolled their neck and sighed. “I’ll get him.” Their aura started to swarm them and they were about to disappear to wherever Harrison was when Eric cried out for them to stop. Everyone turned to the young man, Dark raised an eyebrow.

“I um,” Eric shrunk under their stares. He gulped and looked back at Dark. “H-he’s not okay. I-I asked him how he got here and he lied, I think. I-I don’t know just… something didn’t sit right with me and I told him he could tell me anything and I wouldn’t get mad and he started crying. I… I think he’s being hurt so just… be careful with him. Please.”

Everyone was tense by the end of Eric’s explanation. Dr. Iplier already had a suspicion that something was wrong, but now it was just confirmed. He looked over at the others. Dark’s aura was bristling, the blue and red figures splitting off of them and silently screaming, one even looked like it was crying. Wilford was staring off into space, face unreadable. Bing looked close to breaking down into tears. None of them were fit to find Harrison. They might even just scare him more. Dr. Iplier cleared his throat, getting the attention of others― mostly. Wilford was still a little out of it. 

“Maybe I should go find him,” he suggested. “I had an idea that this was happening, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Plus, I’m the one least attached to the situation.” 

Dark and Wilford are practically King’s parents, reteaching him how to act and talk for 6 years was bound to get them attached to him. Dark constantly denies it, but Wilford accepted his role of King’s adoptive father. Bing and Eric were two of King’s closest friends, and even though Eric didn’t know that was King, he was still too attached because of his own situation with his father. Dr. Iplier was the only one not as attached to him as the others. 

Dark took a deep breath, reeling in their aura and trying to stay calm. “Yes, I feel that would be best,” they admitted, walking over to Dr. Iplier to teleport him away. “Bring him back safely.”

Dr. Iplier nodded and Dark grabbed his shoulder. He reappeared in a familiar, dark room. The doctor looked around and saw the shelves and shelves of books. He was in the Host’s library. Dr. Iplier focused on listening now, hearing soft sniffles and shushing around the corner. He slowly followed the sound, stopping short as he found the source. 

Host was sitting on the floor, holding Harrison tightly in his arms, shushing him as he cried. He smiled up at the doctor, unphased at having a crying child in his lap. Dr. Iplier came closer, wincing as a floorboard creaked and making Harrison stiffen. He whipped around, hugging the Host tighter as he stared blindly in the dimly lit library. 

“It’s just Dr. Iplier,” he putting his hands up, Harrison watching him intently. “You scared us back there. Can I come over?” Harrison hesitated, shifting in Host’s lap, before nodding slowly. Dr. Iplier came closer, sitting just a foot away from the two. “Why did you run off?” He asked.

He didn’t respond. Instead, he pressed his cheek against Host’s chest and shook his head. Host awed quietly, rubbing the kid’s back.

“He was afraid of Dark,” Host answered for him. “He thought he was going to get yelled at.” 

Dr. Iplier grimaced.  _ That’s gonna hurt telling them. _ “Why did you think Dark was going to be mad at you?”

Harrison only shook his head again. He looked exhausted, barely staying awake. Dr. Iplier watched in pity. The poor kid had too much excitement for one day. 

“It’s alright,” he whispered. “You don’t need to tell me. Just go to sleep.”

That seemed to be what was keeping him up. Harrison finally closed his eyes and almost immediately going limp in Host’s lap. The Host awed again and hugged him a little tighter before getting up, still holding the kid close to his chest. 

“The Host rather likes Harrison,” he whispered, reverting back to third person now that the other was asleep. “He remembers getting this vision and smiling happily at just how cute he was.”

Dr. Iplier hummed, getting to his feet as well. “So you knew this would happen,” he kind of guessed, Host often knew before anyone else whenever something big was going to happen. “Can you tell me why he’s so terrified of Dark?”

They both made their way out of the library, Dr. Iplier following Host considering that he was narrating again. “In due time, doctor,” he answered in a whisper. “The Host will need the others to be around to tell them all. It would be best if Dr. Iplier tells Dark so they can call a meeting while Harrison sleeps.”

Dr. Iplier nodded, pulling out his phone as the exited the library, and texting Dark everything. Now they were heading for King’s room to set him down. “Aren’t you worried he might wake up and run off again?”

“No,” The Host stopped at King’s door and waited as Dr. Iplier opened it for him. “Harrison hasn’t slept for two days. He’ll be out until dinner.”

The doctor blinked, the question of  _ why  _ already on the tip of his tongue. Host walked in and gently put the kid on his bed, prying his small arms off him. He tucked him in with King’s many blankets and brushed some hair out of his face. He stood up straight and made his way back to Dr. Iplier.

“You have a text.” He said, closing the door softly behind him. 

Dr. Iplier looked down at his phone. Dark answered that he’s calling a meeting now. Just as that was sent, another text message was sent to the group chat with everyone telling them of the meeting.

“Alright,” Dr. Iplier sighed, looking back at the door and then at Host. “Ready to tell everyone about Harrison?”

The Host smiled. “Definitely not.” The two made their way towards the meeting room anyway, other’s starting to come out of their rooms and following them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR warning for child abuse in this chapter. Nothing graphic, but lots of talk about it.

Dark was standing at the head of the room instead of Wilford, who had taken their seat, and watched everyone pile in. Their aura was still flickering in nerves and spiked when Host and Dr. Iplier entered. They sat next to Wilford and waited as the rest entered. Eric and Bing were sitting in the middle looking anxious for the meeting to start. Finally, the last person came in. Ed dropped down next to Eric and the meeting started. 

Dark held up their hand to quiet the chatter. Once they’ve gotten everyone’s attention, they lowered their hand again. 

“As you can see,” they began, looking at the others with indifference. “King isn’t with us today.” Everyone stiffened and looked around, confirming that he wasn’t there. Conversations started up again, worried about what this means. “Wilford had messed up and currently King is a child.”

“Where is he now?” Bim asked, still looking confused.

“According to Dr. Iplier and Host, he is asleep in his room.” They answered. Dr. Iplier nodded.

“Is there even a point to-to this meeting?” Google said. “This could have been sent to us and we-e woudn’t need to waste any time.”

“Host had requested it,” Dr. Iplier replied. “To explain some things and answer questions.”

“I still think this is a waste of time.” Google said shortly, looking at the others to see if they agreed. Unfortunately, everyone else wanted to know what happened.

“It’s safer to ask the Host questions instead of Harrison,” The Host answered Google’s earlier question. “As to not upset him further.” Eric shrank in his seat at that.

“Alright I’ll bite,” Ed spoke up. “Harrison?”

Host nodded. “That is King’s real name.” The others seemed surprised. 

“S-so is― was he…” Eric couldn’t finish his question, sinking further in his seat and tearing up. Ed reached over and rubbed his arm.

“Yes,” Host responded. Eric let out a squeak and covered his face in his hands. “Harrison was abused.”

The room exploded in chaos. Dr. Iplier felt his stomach drop, but he wasn’t surprised. Many of the others― Wilford, Bim, Ed, the Jims, and Silver― asked a million questions at once. Eric was just crying, not really knowing what else to do with that information. Dark, Yan, and Bing were quiet in their shock. Dark held up their hand again to quiet the room, taking a little longer than last time.

“Explain.” Despite their cool tone, Dark’s aura was still withering.

“Not to the violent extent that Eric was, nor nearly as long, but still abused,” Host started. “It was his step mother who treated him so poorly.”

“His step mother?” Wilford said incredulously. No doubt was he already planning this woman’s murder. “Why the hell would she do that?”

“She didn’t like the reminder that her husband was with another woman before,” Host answered easily, somehow none of this was really affecting him. Then again, he wasn’t really affected by Derek either, just being a little too quiet and aggressive around him. “Which, of course, is no excuse, but that’s why she did it.”

“Is that what happened to his arm?” Bing asked.

“Yes. She was the one who gave him that injury, kicking him out of her house. Evidentially, that is also how Harrison ended up in the forest.” Host said matter-of-factly. 

Google huffed. “It’s h-highly unlikely that Wilford’s spell would have pick-picked the exact moment of him getting kicked out. How would that-t even work?”

Host’s lip twitched slightly, the only reaction he’s given this whole time. “His spell went to a time in his life were something big happened. We are just lucky it didn’t go to when he first arrived at the manor or when he had almost died in the forest.”

“What about the ‘am I allowed’ shit?” Dr. Iplier didn’t know if he really wanted to know, but that has been bothering him since he first heard him ask it. 

Host’s expression went blank again. “His step mother wouldn’t allow him to do much. She didn’t let him speak, eat, sleep, or even sit down without her say so.”

Dr. Iplier was right the first time, he really didn’t want to know.

The meeting continued with asking questions and Host giving answers. So far things to avoid doing were; asking about his parents or what happened to him, calling him Harry― that one made Dr. Iplier wince― and touching him without asking. Things that they were encouraged to do were; being as non threatening as possible, explicitly tell him he is allowed to do whatever he wants, and be patient. By the time the meeting ended, it was almost time for dinner. 

Everyone began to leave, in a much somber mood than when they arrived. The Host told Dr. Iplier to wake Harrison for dinner, staying behind. Dark was the only one left in the room by the end. 

“Dark has been quiet,” Host spoke after a moment of silence, debating if he really wanted to answer their question. He knew what he would do if he did. “…You can ask your question.”

Dark was silent, still standing stiffly at the end of the table. “Why was he afraid of me?” The words sounded odd in their mouth. They’ve never wondered why someone was so afraid of them, after all they aren’t the most kind looking being, but the question was bugging them ever since they saw Harrison run from him. 

“Dark reminds Harrison of his step mother,” Host said slowly, words filled with regret as soon as they left his mouth. “I am sorry.”

Dark didn’t say a word, but Host heard the echo of a broken scream as they left the room. 


	6. Chapter 6

It’s been a few days since the meeting and everyone did what they were asked to. Harrison came down for dinner to a bunch of friendly faces. Everyone was, surprisingly, patient as they gave him food. He didn’t eat much, but he seemed to be happy, even laughed a bit when Wilford, Bing, and the Jims got into a little food fight. The others got attached to the kid quickly. They played with him constantly since then. He helped Google in the kitchen, played video games with Bing and Randal, pranked others with the Jims, and even helped Yan with a school project― well, not really since he was only in 4th grade. 

All the while, Dark stayed away in their office.

Even though everyone was fawning over little King, they worried about their boss. At first, everyone thought they weren’t coming out because they didn’t like Harrison, but that didn’t really make any sense. Even though Dark didn’t like to show it like Wilford, they were very close to King, it wouldn’t make sense for them to avoid him just because he was a child. 

Harrison didn’t think much of it, just that the scary person was gone. Although, he was as oblivious as King was. He knew there was tension surrounding Dark. Whenever he was someone and they passed a black and white door, they grew tense and spoke quietly. As much as he feared them, Harrison still had King’s heart.

It was night time when he went to the door. Despite being able to sleep, Harrison had a hard time doing it, so he would wonder to the kitchen at odd hours of the night and get a snack. Many times he’s passed the black and white door, hearing a soft ringing coming from inside. Tonight however, he wasn’t going to the kitchen, he was going to talk to Dark. He tried the doorknob, turning it slowly and watching in the dim light of the moon as color returned to the golden knob. He poked his head in and blinked a few times at the sudden light.

“Wilford go away,” Dark’s voice echoed from their desk, as well as the sound of papers moving. “I’m not coming to bed.”

Harrison didn’t respond. Swallowing harshly, he slipped inside and shut the door quietly. His heart was hammering in his chest as he stared at Dark, hands balled into fist at his side.

Dark raised their head as they heard the door clicked shut. Their eyes met Harrison and they froze. They set down the papers they were holding and leaned back in their chair. Harrison flinched at the sound of it squeaking.

“What are you doing here,” Dark said cooly. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Can’t.” Harrison choked out, looking down at his feet. Dark felt a pain in their chest at the fear in his voice. 

“Then why are you here?” Dark stood, making Harrison press himself closer against the door, ready to run. 

“Everyone’s worried about you,” he mumbled. “I hear them whispering. Why don’t you come out?”

“Why do you care?” their voice came out harsher than they attended. Harrison trembled against the door.

“I…” he trailed off. Swallowing again, he glanced up at Dark before returning his gaze to the floor. “I dunno. Trying to make friends I guess. You haven’t―” He cut himself short, shaking his head slightly. “Is it because of me? Did I do something wrong?” He looked up at Dark with big, tired eyes. 

That was a type of manipulation that Dark would never achieve. 

“No,” they soothed, watching Harrison’s shoulders drop in relief. “I was… afraid of scaring you.”

“Is it because I ran away from you?” he asked, shifting on his feet and leaning away from the door, less on edge now. “I’m sorry about that…”

“Don’t be,” Dark interrupted softly, still not moving from behind their desk. “I understand completely. It’s not the first and definitely won’t be the last time someone runs away from me in fear.” They let a small smile through as Harrison giggled. His laughter was cut short however from a yawn. Dark frowned again. “You should be asleep.”

“Can I sleep with you?” he asked without really thinking, rubbing one of his eyes. He stiffened. “Never mind sorry—“

“Of course,” Dark replied, smiling once more. “I don’t mind.” They hesitated for a moment. They were still a little worried about scaring him, but they buried it down and walked around their desk. Harrison was still stiff. “Would you like to hold my hand?” Dark regretted asking immediately, but to their surprise, Harrison nodded and slipped his hand in their’s. 

Dark lead him back to his room and opened the door. Harrison let go and climbed into his bed, looking expectedly back at Dark. They stood awkwardly at the doorway before making their way inside and standing at his bed. There was another moment of awkward silence before Harrison grabbed their hand again and pulled them into bed. Dark made a face, but laid down beside the kid. They laid their hands on their stomach and turned to look at Harrison. He wasn’t really serious about Dark sleeping in bed with them, Right? But Harrison dropped down on his side beside’s Dark and pressed his face into their shoulder. In only a few minutes, Harrison was out like a light.

Dr. Iplier came by the next morning to wake Harrison, but stopped when he saw the door open just a crack. He slowly pushed the door open and peeked in. He saw Dark’s back facing him and came closer to get a better look. He couldn’t help but grin as he saw Harrison pressed up against their chest, breathing softly as Dark’s ran their fingers through his hair.

“Speak of this to anyone and I’ll have your tongue.” they said softly, love still in their voice even though it was a threat on the doctor. Dr. Iplier just chuckled, turning back around to leave the room and fully close the door.

“Just have him awake before breakfast,” he whispered over his shoulder. “He’s way too skinny to be skipping meals.”

When Dark finally did wake him, Harrison came bounding into the dining room with Dark in toll. The others watched in shock as the two skidded to a stop, Dark almost tripping over the kid, not used to running. Harrison smiled excitedly and bounced up and down.

“I got them out!” he cheered. “I got them out, I got them out!” 

“Yes yes, I’m out of my office Harrison,” Dark can feel their cheeks burn as they pulled away their hand, using it to try and smooth out their wrinkled shirt. “Go sit with the others and eat.” They turned to leave, not liking all the eyes on them.

“You’re leaving?” Harrison stopped bouncing and the smile he had on since he had awoken fell off. Dark mentally cursed.

“Yeah Dark you can’t leave,” Bim called from where he was sitting. “We haven’t seen you in like, 3 days! Well, except Wilford.” Wilford smiled smugly at that.

Dark glared at Bim, but looked at the others. They were silently begging them to stay. They looked over at Host, he had a soft smile on his face. Dark finally turned to Harrison again, who was staring at them with his big brown eyes. King always had big, puppy dog eyes, Dark always found it odd how much innocents were in his eyes. 

They sighed. “Fine,” Dark relented. “I’ll stay.”

Everyone cheered and Dark rolled their eyes at their dramatic reaction. Harrison smiled again and dragged Dark over to the table, sitting them down next to him. He happily ate his food while everyone talked around him. Dark only sat silently as they talked and ate, they didn’t need to eat so they just came because Harrison had asked. 

After breakfast, Harrison still didn’t allow Dark to leave. He dragged them around the house, explaining what he’s been doing for the last few days while Dark wasn’t around. The others found it funny that their big bad leader was being pulled all around the manor by a ten year old. 

Right now, Harrison was sitting in Dark’s lap on the couch as he played Smash with Randal, Bing, and the Jims― they were sharing a remote and mashing buttons like crazy― with Yan and Eric on the floor talking. Dark was scrolling on their phone, trying to at least get some work done while trapped under the child. They wouldn’t try to leave, still worried to break this bond they formed and Harrison would go back to being terrified of them. 

Suddenly, they felt hands on their shoulders, massaging into the muscle. Dark looked up to see their husband’s grinning face. He leaned down to press a soft kiss on their forehead, making Dark smile.

“The Host told me something rather interesting this morning,” he murmured against their forehead, pulling away a little as he felt his partner raise an eyebrow. “He told me that you were cuddling our little pup this morning.” Dark’s face went aflame and Wilford laughed, startling the others because they didn’t know he was there.

“I’ll kill him,” Dark hissed, straightening their neck and trying to reassure Harrison with a smile. Wilford came around and crashed down next to Dark on the couch, throwing an arm around their shoulders and kissing their cheek. “I’ll kill Dr. Iplier too.”

“Oh no,” Wilford chuckled. “Why him?”

“He’s an accomplice.” Dark mumbled, not wanting to reveal that he had caught them too.

“I didn’t know you guys were married!” Harrison gasped excitedly, jumping at Wilford booming laughter.


	7. Chapter 7

It was the last full day of King being a child. Host had confirmed Wilford’s claims of the spell wearing off in a week. Everyone demanded they go out for Harrison’s last day with them― except Eric, he would never demand anything. Currently, they were all packed in the living room, deciding where to go.

“We can go to the park,” one of the Jims suggested. The other one nodded along and finished his brother’s sentence. “Harrison can play on the swings with us!”

“That’s boring,” Bim said from his chair, splayed out on Google’s lap. He smiled up at his friend. “What about the city? We have a lot more options there, and we can get away with a lot more.”

Others started to agree with Bim’s idea, even the Jims, who were now talking about the giant parks in the city. Harrison― from where he sat on Dark’s lap on the couch― looked around at the others as they chatted. He didn’t know why they were planning to go out― Host said it was best not to tell Harrison that he would be gone tomorrow― but he was getting more and more excited with every word. He looked up at Dark with a grin. Dark smiled softly back before dropping it and clearing their throat, getting the attention of the others.

“I suggest you all get dressed than,” they began, everyone staring at them with barely concealed excitement. “We’ll be going to the city.”

They all scrambled to their feet, Bim even climbing over Google to rush to his room. Dark, Wilford, Dr. Iplier, and Harrison were the only ones left in the living room. Harrison hopped out of Dark’s lap and bounced around the living room in his excitement. Wilford awed and Dark smiled lovingly as the kid had his fun.

“Alright Harrison,” Dr. Iplier laughed softly into his hand. “You don’t want to waste all your energy here, now. Let me check your arm before we go, just in case I need to put cream on it again.”

Harrison came to a bouncing stop and held out his arm for the doctor. He got his bandages taken out days ago, but Dr. Iplier still put cream on it so it would heal nicely. Dark was starting to notice that the wound looked terribly similar to a scar King had now. They never thought about how he got that, King had dozens of scars and a lot of them he didn’t remember where they came from. Dark briefly thought about how that wound even got there and had to hold back their aura from lashing out. Wilford seemed to notice and rubbed their arm in comfort.

The others started filing back into the room, dressed in their regular clothes, as Dr. Iplier finished putting cream on Harrison’s arm. Harrison smiled at the others as the last of them entered the room. Dark and Wilford got up from the couch as well. Wilford scooped up Harrison into his arms and held him on his hip. Yan handed Harrison a hoodie small enough for him to wear, it was one of her crop top hoodies so the sleeves would still be too long, but at least it will fit around his middle.

And then, they were off to the city.

Bim, the Jims, Bing, Randal, and Eric were in the front, looking around and chatting excitedly as they arrived. Host, Dr. Iplier, Ed, Google, and Silver were in the back, chatting calmly with each other. Dark, Wilford, and Harrison were stuck in the middle. 

Harrison was a little nervous, he told Wilford when they left that he’s never been to a city, but he heard it was dangerous. Dark assured him that the city wasn’t dangerous, before Wilford could scare the kid and tell him all sorts of lies. They stopped at a few shops. Yan, Bim, and Randal buying some clothes― Wilford had tried buying Dark a very inappropriate outfit and lost privilege of holding Harrison― and the others had bought little things for themselves. 

Bing even bought Harrison a stuffed animal, a small beanie baby of a squirrel. It might’ve been a dog toy, Dark had his suspicions as soon as the toy appeared, but Harrison absolutely adored it. Even though Harrison won’t be with it for long, it was a nice thought.

They went to a nice restaurant when dinner time came around. Google and Bing went to a few more shops sense they don’t eat. Dark doesn’t eat either, but they didn’t want to leave the others without someone to watch after them. They trusted Dr. Iplier to take control too, but not alone. They broke into two tables of six. Dark, Wilford, Harrison, Host, Dr. Iplier, Bim, and Yan were at one table, and The Jims, Ed, Randal, Eric, and Silver were at the other. Harrison was sitting in Dark’s lap and reading the menu happily.

“Did you have a fun day today Harrison,” Yan asked sweetly, leaning forward with her menu pressed against her chest. “Sorry you didn’t go to the park with the Jims today.” At one point, they had lost the Jims. Apparently they found a park and ran to it without telling anyone. It took a whole half hour to them.

“I had a lot of fun!” he said. “Thank you guys for bringing me along!”

“Of course Harrison,” Dr. Iplier said with a grin. Host tugged lightly on his sleeve and nodded towards his menu. “Shit― fuck I mean― shoot sorry Host. Um uh, waiter?” He flushed as he flagged down a waiter and asked for a braille menu.

Wilford laughed, making Dr. Iplier flush more as he apologized to Host. Harrison giggled too, hopping in Dark’s lap, which made them wince.

“What do you want to eat?” Bim asked Harrison, also giggling at Dr. Iplier embarrassed face. 

“Chicken tenders,” he replied excitedly. “I haven’t had those in like, forever! My daddy used to make them for me.” His excitement started to die down and he frowned. No one had mentioned his family since that incident with Eric. “Will I see him again? And my mommy?”

Everyone at the table went silent, looking at each other to try and find something to say. Harrison looked in between them sadly, deflating a little more with every second that passed.

“You will,” Dark lied, smiling down at Harrison. “I’m positive you’ll see your family again.” If some rare chance that King remembered all of this, Dark was definitely finding them and making King happy again. And to decapitate his step mother.

Once dinner was finished and everyone met up with Bing and Google, they started to head home. They were all in a more somber mood. Tonight, Harrison was going to sleep and everything will go back to normal. Of course, they were happy that they would be getting King back tomorrow, but the time they have spent with Harrison just made them all remember that this didn’t do anything to King’s past. Harrison was still kicked out of his house and still lived in the forest for years on end until he came across Wilford and Dark. It was just a twist in the knife they have gotten used to.

Dark tucked Harrison in bed once they got to the manor and brushed some hair out of his eyes. He smiled lazily up at Dark as he hugged his new toy and they smiled back, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead.

“Goodnight, my little King.” they whispered, holding the kid’s cheek softly for the last time.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, King woke with a booming headache.

He groaned and threw some of his blankets over his head. Did he pass out? The last memory he had was going to the garden to greet his subjects when something hit him. Bing and Wilford were fighting about something when he came outside. Maybe one of them threw something and it hit him? 

All this thinking was just making the headache worse. 

King thought of staying in his bed all day― he’ll asked Bing or Eric to take care of his squirrels until he eventually got up― but the door behind him opened.

“Harrison?” Dark’s voice called quietly into the room. King uncovered his head and stared at them in confusion. Dark’s expression was unreadable for a moment, before they smiled at him, making King even more confused. “Good to see you again King. How are you feeling?”

King furrowed his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything. Dark was always using fancy words that he didn’t understand. “Hnng,” he grunted, sitting up slowly. “My head hurts, but ‘m good.” His words slurred together slightly. 

Dark hummed absentmindedly. “What… what was the last thing you remember?” They sounded nervous, for some reason that King couldn’t get into with his head splitting in half.

“Remember Bing and Wilford fighting or somethin’ and then I was hit and then I woke up here.” he said, starting to get up and out of bed. As long as he’s up, he should probably check on his squirrels. “What happened?”

Dark was silent as King took a second for the pounding to quiet down. Well, maybe they were silent, King doesn’t think he would be able to hear them if they were explaining to him what had happened. King finally got his feet once the aching was at least bearable and looked up at Dark. They swallowed, a nervous habit he had never seen them do.

“Wilford hit you with a spell, turning you into a child,” they began slowly. “You’ve been like that for a week.”

“Wha―” King gaped, staring at Dark like they just grew two head, and not in the sense of their red and blue heads. “I was a child? For a week?”

“Yes, but don’t worry, we made sure Eric took care of your squirrels while you were… occupied.” Dark reassured. King blinked. He was a child.

“What was I like…” he mumbled. King has long since come to peace with not remembering his childhood, but now learning that he  _ was  _ a child for awhile, yearning feeling of wanting to know came back. 

Dark smiled softly, a smile he hasn’t seen from them in years. “You were very similar to who you are now,” they began walking over to King, standing right in front of them. “Sweet, innocent, a little skittish and awkward, but a happy kid. There was of course some differences. You were better at talking, having had actual schooling then, and you didn't show nearly as much interest in squirrels as you do now.” Dark must’ve read something in his expression because he frowned.

“Your name was Harrison,” King could feel a lump forming in his throat and he tried swallowing through it. “You were kicked out of your house by your step mother at age ten. That’s where the burn scar on your arm came from.” King unconsciously felt his arm, feeling tears well up in his eyes. “The Jims have footage of you if you would like to see?”

King shook his head immediately. This was all too much. His name, kicked out, his scar, it was too much. A shuddering sob left him before he knew it and that broke the tears welling up in his eyes. Dark pulled him into a tight hug and rocked him gently, shushing and petting his hair. King wept into their shoulder, clinging to their shirt tightly.

Dark heard footsteps stop behind them and glance behind them. Wilford stood at the doorway, watching them with heartbroken eyes. Dark nodded towards King.

“I told him.” they admitted. King’s breathing hitched and looked up, spotting Wilford over Dark’s shoulder. 

“Oh hon,” Wilford rushed forward and sandwiched King in a hug. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I know it’s a little overwhelming, but it’s okay.”

King sobbed louder, leaning his head back onto Wilford’s chest. It took a bit for him to calm down, the three had migrated to sitting on the floor, King still squished in between the two. He wiped away his snot and tears, looking shamefully down at his lap.

“Sorry,” his voice croaked as he spoke, still thick with emotion. “I’m fine, I’m sorry.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for sweetie pie,” Wilford’s voice rumbled in his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of King’s head before continuing. “That was a lot to take in.” Dark nodded in agreement, pulling away to look at King. They smiled lovingly at him and it made King want to cry all over again. 

“Are you okay?” they asked. “If you want, we can tell Eric to take care of the squirrels again and we can relax in your mess of a bed.”

King smiled. “I would like that,” he responded quietly. “But not for too long. I haven’t seen my subjects in a week. They must be worried.”

Both Dark and Wilford chuckled at that. Dark’s hand came up to hold his cheek and King leaned into the touch. “Of course King.”

Wilford hefted King up and jumped into bed with him squealing. Dark climbed in after them, texting on their phone― probably to tell Eric to watch his squirrels. Maybe, when he felt better about this whole situation, he’ll watch those videos that Dark mentioned, but for now, he just settled in between them happily, watching them stare at him with such love that he wasn’t so used to.


End file.
